JP7144141B2 - Structural health monitoring system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to systems and methods for structural health management and, more particularly, to apparatus, systems and methods for monitoring workpieces and providing information regarding the structural health of the workpieces.

Periodic inspections of various structures determine the health of the structures or identify problems that require further inspection, maintenance or repair. For example, in buildings, bridges, etc., problems may occur that may cause the structure to become weaker or ultimately unable to be used for its intended purpose. Periodic inspections may be performed. Vehicles (eg, planes, trains, ships, etc.) may also be inspected periodically to identify problems for further action as well.

For example, regular inspections may be performed on commercial aircraft. During such inspection periods, the aircraft must generally be removed from service to allow for intensive visual inspection. In this regard, at least some inspections of aircraft involve substantial dismantling of the aircraft to visually inspect various parts. For example, it may be necessary to dismantle an aircraft to inspect for corrosion or fatigue damage or to identify crack propagation in difficult-to-access parts of the aircraft.

As a further example, visual inspection of difficult-to-access and vulnerable aircraft parts, such as floor support structures and fin-to-fuselage or wing-to-fuselage connections, requires extensive dismantling and removal of adjacent equipment. may be required. Visually inspecting such portions of the aircraft requires considerable time and effort, and may therefore require the aircraft to be taken out of service for significant periods of time. Also, certain parts, once removed or dismantled, may be difficult to reseal or install with the same degree of integrity as when the aircraft was originally built. . Moreover, the demolition itself may inadvertently damage the structure or removed parts, requiring additional maintenance or repair work.

Periodic inspection has disadvantages other than the time and effort required to perform a visual inspection. That is, an aircraft may be temporarily taken out of service, for example, if a periodic inspection determines that there are no structural problems with the aircraft and that no repairs are required. Conversely, if structural problems are developing, it may be too late to schedule inspections. In such cases, structural problems may be magnified or damage may be caused to surrounding structures during the interval between periodic inspections. In this case, more extensive repairs may be required than if the structural problem had been identified earlier.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide better techniques for monitoring and testing in a more efficient, cost-effective, and timely manner. In this regard, it provides better inspection techniques to identify structural fatigue, cracks, corrosion, or other structural problems in a timely manner after they occur without removing the structure from long-term service. It would be desirable to It would also be desirable to provide better structure monitoring and inspection techniques that can reduce the dismantling required by traditional visual inspections.

A structural health monitoring system and method according to the present disclosure remains attached to a selected target portion of a structure and periodically measures electrical impedance to monitor the structural health of the target portion and By wirelessly communicating the information to a remote reader device, such as the host aircraft's on-board network system, the above problems are overcome. Such monitoring systems may include ambient energy harvesting circuitry configured to provide power for electrical measurements and/or information transmission.

In some embodiments, the structural health monitoring device is a measurement circuit including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of a workpiece to enable off-board communication. and an energy harvester circuit configured to power the measurement circuit, the measurement circuit being connected to the target portion of the workpiece. Configured to measure impedance, the processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural integrity of the workpiece.

In some embodiments, a structural health monitoring system includes a structural health monitoring device, said structural health monitoring device including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of a workpiece. A measurement circuit, the measurement circuit communicating with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to enable off-board communication, and an energy harvester circuit configured to power the measurement circuit. wherein the measurement circuitry is configured to measure impedance of the target portion of the workpiece, and the processing circuitry determines a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural integrity of the workpiece. and the structural health monitoring system further includes a reader configured to wirelessly communicate with the structural health monitoring device to obtain information regarding changes in impedance of the target portion.

In some embodiments, a structural health monitoring method monitors the structural health of a workpiece using a structural health monitoring device coupled to the workpiece, the structural health monitoring device being a target of the workpiece. measurement circuitry including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attached to a portion, the measurement circuitry configured to measure impedance of the target portion of the workpiece; Processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in the measured impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece, and to power the structural health monitoring device. Harvesting ambient energy using an energy harvesting circuit of the monitoring device and providing information about the measured impedance of the target part off-board using a wireless circuit communicable with the measuring circuit in the structural health monitoring device. reader.

The features, functions and advantages may be achieved by the various embodiments of the present disclosure individually or in combination with still other embodiments, further details of which can be found in the following description and drawings. It becomes clear by doing

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary structural health monitoring system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of an exemplary method for structural health monitoring of a workpiece, in accordance with the present technique; 4 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an exemplary aircraft manufacturing and service method; 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary aircraft; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary data processing system suitable for use with and/or encompassed by one or more aspects of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary distributed data processing system suitable for use with and/or encompassed by one or more aspects of the present disclosure; FIG.

Various aspects and embodiments of a remote structural health monitoring system and associated methods are described below and illustrated in the associated drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the structural health monitoring system and/or its various components may include at least one of the structures, components, functions, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein. may be included, but this is not required. Also, unless specifically excluded, process steps, structures, components, functions, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein in connection with the present disclosure may Apparatuses and methods can be incorporated and interchanged among the disclosed embodiments. The following descriptions of various examples are merely exemplary in nature and are not intended to limit the disclosure or its application or use in any way. Also, the advantages described below provided by the examples and embodiments are exemplary in nature and not all examples or embodiments provide the same or comparable advantages.
[definition]

As used herein, the following definitions apply unless otherwise indicated.

"Substantially" means closely conforming to the particular dimensions, extents, shapes, concepts, etc., modified by the term, not necessarily exactly conforming to a particular feature or component. do not have. For example, a "substantially cylindrical" object means that the object simulates a cylinder and may have one or more deviations from a true cylinder.

"Comprising," "including," and "having" (and their conjugations) are all used interchangeably to mean "including, but not necessarily limited to." is an open-ended term that is not intended to exclude additional elements or method steps that have not been described.

Terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. are used to distinguish or identify each element of a group, etc., and are not intended to limit order or number.
[Summary]

Generally, a structural health monitoring system according to the present disclosure includes a structural health monitoring device coupled to a target portion of a workpiece and wirelessly communicating with the structural health monitoring device to obtain information regarding changes in electrical properties of the target portion. and a reader that A structural health monitoring apparatus includes measurement circuitry including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attached to a target portion of a workpiece. The measurement circuit also communicates with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to enable off-board communication. Structural health monitoring devices may also include energy harvester circuitry configured to provide power to the measurement circuitry, for example, by harvesting thermal energy, solar energy, or other ambient energy. In some examples, the measurement circuitry is configured to measure the electrical impedance (eg, resistance) of the target portion of the workpiece. Processing circuitry of the apparatus is configured to determine changes in electrical properties (eg, impedance) of the target portion that are indicative of changes in the structural integrity of the workpiece. For example, fatigue-induced stress or corrosion in a target part can manifest itself in changes in its impedance.

Aspects of the remote structural health monitoring system described herein may be embodied as a computer-implemented method, computer system, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the structural health monitoring system may be an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. , all of which may be generally referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system." Aspects of the structural health monitoring system may also take the form of a computer program product embodied as a computer-readable medium containing computer-readable program code/instructions.

Any combination of computer readable media may be used. A computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium and/or a computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable storage media may include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, and/or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media include: electrical connections containing one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory ( ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage, magnetic storage, and/or any suitable combination thereof and so on. For purposes of this disclosure, computer-readable storage medium is any suitable tangible medium capable of containing and/or storing a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. may include the medium of

A computer readable signal medium may include, for example, a propagated data signal that contains computer readable program code in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such propagating signals may take any of a variety of forms including, but not limited to, electromagnetic forms, optical forms, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium is any computer-readable medium that is not a computer-readable storage medium capable of carrying, propagating, or transferring a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. It can contain a medium.

Program code embodied in computer readable media may be transmitted using any suitable medium including, but not limited to, wireless, wire, fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof. can.

Computer program code for performing aspects of the structural health monitoring system may be used in any of programming languages including object oriented programming languages such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ and conventional procedural programming languages such as "C". may be written by one or any combination of Mobile applications can be developed using any suitable language, including those mentioned above, as well as Objective-C, Swift, C#, HTML5, and the like. The program code may run entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly remotely. It may run on a computer or run entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN); It may also connect to an external computer (eg, over the Internet using an Internet service provider).

Aspects of structural health monitoring systems are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus, systems, and/or computer program products. Each block and/or combination of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions. Computer program instructions are provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus for manufacturing a machine, and are executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus. The instructions may form means for performing the functions/acts specified in the flowcharts and/or blocks in the schematic block diagrams.

These computer program instructions may be stored on a computer readable medium capable of directing a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus and/or other apparatus to function in a particular manner. The computer-readable medium containing the instructions thereby forms an article of manufacture that includes instructions for performing the functions/acts described in the flowcharts and/or blocks in the block diagrams.

Also, producing a computer-implemented process by loading computer program instructions into a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other apparatus to cause the apparatus to perform a series of operational steps Alternatively, the computer or other programmable device implemented instructions provide the processes for performing the functions/acts noted in the flowchart illustrations and/or schematic block diagram blocks.

Any flowcharts and/or block diagrams shown in the figures are intended to illustrate the architecture, functionality, and/or operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to aspects of structural health monitoring systems. It is. In this regard, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which constitutes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. In some implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. In addition, each block and/or combination of blocks can be implemented by a special purpose hardware-based system (or combination of special purpose hardware and computer instructions) that performs the specified function or action.
[Example: Components and their alternatives]

The following sections describe selected aspects of exemplary structural health monitoring systems and related systems, devices, and/or methods. The examples in these sections are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the overall scope of the disclosure. Each section may contain one or more individual embodiments or examples and/or background or related information, functionality and/or structure.
Exemplary Structural Health Monitoring System

As shown in FIG. 1, this section describes an exemplary structural health monitoring system 100 . System 100 is an example of the structural health monitoring system described in the "Overview" above.

System 100 includes one or more structural health monitoring devices 102 coupled to a workpiece 104 located within environment 106 . Workpiece 104 may be any suitable host structure for which structural health monitoring is desired. For example, workpiece 104 may include an aircraft, vehicle, bridge, ship, spacecraft, etc., or any portion or component thereof. Workpiece 104 operates within and/or interacts with and/or exists within environment 106, which includes natural or man-made environments. , sunlight, wind, atmospheric pressure, humidity, water, noise, vibration, temperature gradients, or any combination thereof.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, each structural health monitoring device 102 measures an electrical characteristic 108 of a corresponding target monitored portion 110 on the workpiece 104 and, upon request, communicates information regarding that characteristic to a remote reader device 112. Any suitable circuitry or interface configured for wireless transmission may be included. The device 102 in the example shown in FIG. 1 includes a body 114, which includes a printed circuit board and/or housing or case for the device, measurement circuitry 116, radio circuitry 118, and power to the measurement and radio circuitry. may include an energy harvesting circuit 120 configured to provide a .

Measurement circuitry 116 may include any suitable circuitry and/or modules configured to measure one or more electrical characteristics of target monitoring portion 110 . In this embodiment, measurement circuitry 116 includes a pair of electrodes 122A and 122B connected to processing circuitry 124 by conductive wires or leads 126A and 126B, respectively. Electrodes 122A and 122B are sometimes referred to as sensors or half-sensors, respectively.

Processing circuitry 124 may include any suitable circuitry and/or modules configured to receive sensor inputs from electrodes 122A and 122B and to determine electrical measurements of subject monitoring portion 110 from those electrodes. . In some examples, processing circuitry 124 performs signal conditioning. In some examples, processing circuitry 124 includes a microprocessor. In some examples, processing circuitry 124 is configured to perform one or more steps of a selected method or algorithm (eg, method 200 described below). Processing circuitry 124 may communicate with and include storage device 128 . The memory device 128 may contain instructions (eg, executable by a microprocessor) to perform the functions of the processing circuitry. In some examples, data corresponding to measurements of electrical properties of the subject monitoring portion 110 are stored for subsequent extraction, trend analysis, transmission off-device, comparison to expected values or expected ranges, etc. Stored on device 128 .

Radio circuitry 118 communicates with processing circuitry 124, eg, to receive measurement data. Such radio circuitry may include any circuitry and/or modules configured to wirelessly transmit and receive modulated electromagnetic signals via antenna 130 . Radio circuitry 118 is configured to communicate with remote reader device 112 . For example, radio circuitry 118 and reader 112 both operate under a standard protocol such as IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Networks (ie, 6LoWPAN). In some examples, radio circuitry 118 may be a ZigBee device. In some examples, radio circuitry 118 may be a Bluetooth LE (or Bluetooth Smart) device. In some examples, radio circuitry 118 may be configured as a short-range radio-frequency identification (RFID) system and reader 112 may be an RFID reader.

Energy harvesting circuitry 120 is configured to power measurement circuitry 116 and/or radio circuitry 118 . Energy harvesting circuitry 120 may be any suitable circuitry and configured to harvest ambient energy from energy source 132 in environment 106 and/or workpiece 104 and convert that energy into electricity for use or storage. /or may include modules. In this example, energy harvesting circuitry 120 may include a power generator 134 coupled to an energy harvesting integrated circuit (IC) 136 and an energy storage device 138 . Power generator 134 is a thermoelectric generator (TEG) or piezoelectric or optical generator configured to collect ambient energy (e.g., temperature gradient energy, vibration, light, sound, etc.) from energy source 132 and convert it to electrical power. Any suitable device may be included, such as a photovoltaic (PV) cell. In some examples, antenna 130 may assist or function as power generator 134, such as when radio circuit 118 is configured as an RFID system.

Energy harvesting IC 136 may include any suitable device configured to efficiently capture and manage small amounts of electrical power (in the μW to mW range) generated by power generator 134 . For example, energy harvesting ICs (also called ultra-low power boost converters) available from Texas Instruments, currently marketed under the designations BQ25504, BQ25505 and BQ25570, are suitable for use in circuit 120. Will.

The energy collected by circuit 120 may be supplied directly to other circuits of device 102 or stored in energy storage device 138 . Energy storage device 138 may include rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, ultracapacitors, lead-acid batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries (NiCad), etc., or combinations thereof. In some examples, alternating current (AC) power may be supplied to the measurement circuit, eg, by circuit 120 through a power converter. This facilitates electrical measurements related to AC power, such as frequency response and inductance.

The one or more structural health monitoring devices 102 may also be referred to as detectors or detection devices. Reader device 112 is a separate device from detector 102 and may include any suitable wireless communication device in communicative connection with detector 102 to receive and transmit measurement information from detector 102 regarding subject monitoring portion 110 . . In some examples, the reader device 112 is portable, such as a portable electronic device carried by a technician to communicate with one or more detectors 102 located on various portions of the workpiece 104. is the leader of In some examples, workpiece 104 is part of an aircraft and reader device 112 includes a wireless access point (WAP) 140 of an on-board network system (ONS) 142 of the aircraft. In either case, the reader device 112 and the data processor 144 further aggregate, analyze, and report measurement data from the one or more detection devices 102 on the one or more workpieces 104. It can be in a communication state.
Exemplary Structural Health Monitoring Methodology

This section describes exemplary method steps for monitoring the structural health of a workpiece. Aspects of the structural health monitoring system and apparatus described above can be used in the method steps described below. Where appropriate, reference may be made to components and systems that may be used to perform each step. Such references are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the manner in which any particular step of the method is performed.

Generally, exemplary structural health monitoring method steps include monitoring the health of a workpiece (eg, workpiece 104) with a structural health monitoring device (eg, device 102) coupled to the workpiece. sell. The structural health monitoring apparatus includes a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 124) communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes (e.g., electrodes 122A, 122B) attached to a target portion (e.g., target monitoring portion 110) of a workpiece. A measurement circuit (eg, measurement circuit 116) is included. A measurement circuit is configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the workpiece. The processing circuitry is configured to determine changes in the measured impedance of the target portion indicative of changes in the structural integrity of the workpiece. The method includes harvesting ambient energy (e.g., energy source 132) using an energy harvesting circuit (e.g., energy harvesting circuit 120) of the structural health monitoring device to power the structural health monitoring device. can further include Information regarding the measured impedance of the target part can be transmitted to an off-board reader (eg, reader device 112) using the structural health monitoring device's wireless circuitry (eg, wireless circuitry 118) in communication with the measurement circuitry.

In some examples, the measured impedance of the target portion of the workpiece is compared to an expected impedance range. If the measured impedance is outside the expected impedance range, a warning signal may be sent to an off-board reader (eg, by radio circuit 118).

In some examples, the measured impedance is stored in a memory device (eg, memory device 128) of the measurement circuit. In some examples, harvesting ambient energy includes harvesting thermal energy using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) and/or photovoltaic (PV) cell coupled to an energy harvester integrated circuit (IC). including doing

In some examples, the workpiece includes a portion of an aircraft and the off-board reader includes an on-board network system (ONS) of the aircraft.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a flowchart of exemplary steps performed in another exemplary workpiece structural health monitoring method. The flow chart of FIG. 2 may not show the complete process or all steps of the method. FIG. 2 illustrates a number of steps that may be performed using the structural health monitoring system 100 and apparatus 102 of the method, generally designated 200, as well as one or more steps of the general method described above. there is Although various steps of method 200 are described below and illustrated in FIG. 2, these steps need not all be performed, and in some cases may be performed in a different order than shown.

At step 202, a portion of interest on the workpiece is identified. For example, certain parts or areas of an aircraft are often more prone to corrosion and fatigue failure. These parts of interest correspond to the object monitoring parts described with reference to FIG. Identification of parts of interest can be based on previous experience, parts known to be high risk for that workpiece type (e.g. aircraft models), workpiece age, etc., or a combination thereof. .

At step 204, a structural health monitoring device (eg, device 102) is placed at the portion of interest. For example, the device is coupled to a workpiece with its electrodes or sensors attached to the target monitoring portion. The device may be removably or otherwise attached to the workpiece, such as by bolting or gluing. In some examples, mounting involves placing electrodes, one on each side of the portion to be monitored, so that electrical properties across the portion of interest can be measured. Generally, the device is permanently coupled to the workpiece to ensure that it remains attached during operational use of the workpiece. In other words, in this embodiment, the device is intended to be a long-term or semi-permanent monitoring device, rather than a portable device for single or temporary measurements.

At step 206, ambient energy from the environment and/or workpiece is captured and converted to electrical power for use in the apparatus. Powering structural health monitoring devices through conventional methods, such as direct power supplies or replaceable batteries, can be difficult as long-term monitoring devices are often located in difficult-to-access locations. It thus harvests energy from the surrounding environment, such as piezoelectric energy from vibrations, photovoltaic energy from light or sunlight, thermoelectric energy from temperature fluctuations and/or gradients, local air movement and /or fluid energy due to moisture movement, etc., or a combination thereof. An on-board electrical storage device such as a lithium-ion battery can be used to store the harvested energy.

At step 208, one or more electrical properties of the portion of interest are captured (ie, measured) by the monitoring device. For example, the resistance or impedance between two electrodes of the device is measured, such as by resistance measurement techniques well known to those skilled in the art.

At step 210, the characteristics measured at step 208 are stored in the monitoring device. For example, information about the measured properties is saved to on-board storage (eg, persistent storage).

At step 212, the measured property is compared to a predicted value or expected range of values. This predicted value or predicted range can be determined by any suitable method, such as, for example, based on historical data for similar workpieces, age or cycles of the workpiece, location of the workpiece, and the like.

If the measured property is outside the expected range, then at step 214, a warning signal is generated indicating that further communication and investigation should occur to the monitoring device. In some examples, a warning signal is sent if a series of measurements (eg, three consecutive measurements) indicate a trend toward an out-of-specification condition.

At step 216, in response to the warning signal of step 214, or on a selected periodic basis, or on demand, or upon user request, the stored information regarding the measured electrical properties of the portion of interest is sent to the requestor. It is wirelessly transmitted to the reader device. As noted above, the reader device may be a portable reader or integrated with the workpiece, such as a wireless access point of an aircraft's on-board network system (ONS). good too.

At step 218, information regarding the electrical measurements is collated and compiled by a data processing system (eg, computer or computer network).

In step 220, measurements are analyzed, eg, over time or by workpiece type or model, for trends and cross-checking with relevant data (eg, temperature, known events). This analysis can be further used in one or more predictive models. In some examples, corrosion and/or fatigue-related measurements from structural health monitoring devices associated with multiple workpieces (eg, a fleet of aircraft) are analyzed. For example, analysis may be performed to determine commonalities and trends related to aircraft model, type, age, and/or thermal cycles. In some examples, the analysis relates to a selected target monitoring portion or portion of interest that is common to multiple workpieces (eg, an aircraft wing-fuselage interface).
EXEMPLARY AIRCRAFT AND RELATED METHODS

Examples of the present disclosure may be described in the context of exemplary aircraft manufacturing and service method 300 shown in FIG. 3 and exemplary aircraft 302 shown in FIG. For example, aircraft 302 is a workpiece, as described above. One or more structural health monitoring devices may be attached to target monitoring portions of the aircraft, such as during system integration. In some examples, the aircraft's on-board network system is used to communicate with the monitoring device.

As pre-production steps, method 300 may include specification and design of aircraft 302 (block 304) and material procurement (block 306). Processes during production include manufacturing aircraft 302 parts and subassemblies (block 308) and system integration (block 310). Aircraft 302 then goes through a process of approval and delivery (block 312) before being put into service (block 314). During use, aircraft 302 may be included in routine maintenance and maintenance (block 316). Routine maintenance and maintenance may also include retrofitting, reconfiguring, refurbishing, etc. of one or more systems of aircraft 302 .

Each step of method 300 can be performed or performed by a system integrator, a third party, and/or an operator (eg, a customer). For illustrative purposes, system integrators may include, but are not limited to, any number of aircraft manufacturers and major system subcontractors. Third parties may include, but are not limited to, any number of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers. An operator may be an airline, a leasing company, a military entity, a service organization, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4 , aircraft 302 manufactured by exemplary method 300 may include fuselage 318 with multiple high-level systems 320 and interior 322 . Examples of high-level systems 320 include one or more of propulsion system 324 , electrical system 326 , hydraulic system 328 , and environmental system 330 . It may also include any number of other systems. Also, although the aerospace industry has been described as an example, the principles disclosed herein may be applied to other industries, such as the automotive industry, for example. Thus, in addition to aircraft 302, the principles described herein may be applied to other vehicles such as land vehicles, watercraft, spacecraft, and the like.

The apparatus and methods shown or described herein may be used in any one or more stages of manufacturing and service method 300 . For example, parts or subassemblies corresponding to parts and subassemblies manufacturing (block 308) may be manufactured in a manner similar to parts or subassemblies manufactured while the aircraft 302 is in service (block 314). can. Also, one or more embodiments of apparatus, methods, or combinations thereof may be used in manufacturing processes 308 and 310, for example, to significantly increase assembly speed or reduce cost of aircraft 302. can. Similarly, one or more examples or combinations of implementations of apparatus or methods may be used during service (block 314) and/or maintenance and maintenance (block 316) of aircraft 302, although this is not limited to
[Exemplary Data Processing System]

As shown in FIG. 5, this example illustrates a data processing system 400 (also referred to as a computer) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, data processing system 400 is an exemplary data processing system suitable for implementing aspects of a structural health monitoring system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. More specifically, in some examples, a device (e.g., server, computer) that is an embodiment of a data processing system is used to collate and analyze information associated with electrical measurements obtained by system 100. can do. In some examples, aspects of data processing system 400 may be used in processing circuitry (eg, circuitry 124 ) of structural health monitoring device 102 .

In this illustrative example, data processing system 400 includes communications framework 402 . Communications framework 402 provides communications between processor unit 404 , memory 406 , persistent storage 408 , communications unit 410 , input/output (I/O) unit 412 , and display 414 . Memory 406 , persistent storage 408 , communications unit 410 , input/output (I/O) unit 412 , and display 414 are examples of resources accessible by processor unit 404 via communications framework 402 .

Processor unit 404 is responsible for executing instructions loaded into memory 406 . Processor unit 404 may be comprised of multiple processors, multi-processor cores, or other types of processors, depending on the particular implementation. Further, processor unit 404 may be implemented using multiple heterogeneous processor systems, in which a main processor is provided with secondary processors on a single chip. As another example, processor unit 404 may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type.

Memory 406 and persistent storage 408 are examples of storage 416 . A storage device is any hardware capable of storing, for example, but not limited to, data, program code in functional form, and other suitable information, either temporarily or permanently.

Storage devices 416 may also be referred to as computer-readable storage devices in these examples. Memory 406 may be, in these examples, for example, random access memory, or any other suitable volatile or nonvolatile storage. Persistent storage 408 may take many forms, depending on the particular implementation.

For example, persistent storage 408 may contain one or more components or devices. For example, persistent storage 408 may be a hard drive, flash memory, rewritable optical discs, rewritable magnetic tape, or any suitable combination thereof. The media used by persistent storage 408 may also be removable. For example, a removable hard drive can be used for persistent storage 408 .

Communications unit 410, in these examples, provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices. In these examples, communication unit 410 is a network interface card. Communication unit 410 may communicate using either or both physical and wireless communication links.

Input/output (I/O) unit 412 allows for input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to data processing system 400 . For example, input/output (I/O) unit 412 provides a connection for user input using a keyboard, mouse, and/or other suitable input device. An input/output unit (I/O) 412 may also send output to a printer. Display 414 provides a mechanism for displaying information to a user.

Instructions making up the operating system, applications and/or programs may be stored in storage device 416 , which communicates with processor unit 404 via communication framework 402 . In these examples, the instructions are stored in persistent storage 408 in functional form. These instructions may be loaded into memory 406 and executed by processor unit 404 . The processing of each embodiment may be performed by processor unit 404 using computer-executable instructions, which may be stored in a memory, such as memory 406 .

These instructions are referred to as program instructions, program code, computer usable program code, or computer readable program code, which may be read and executed by a processor in processor unit 404 . The program code for various embodiments may be embodied in various physical or computer readable media such as memory 406 and persistent storage 408 .

Program code 418 may be stored in functional form on removable computer readable media 420 and may be loaded or transferred to data processing system 400 for execution by processor unit 404 . Program code 418 and computer readable media 422 constitute computer program product 422 in these examples. In one example, computer readable media 420 may be computer readable storage media 424 and computer readable signal media 426 .

Computer-readable storage medium 424 includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, which may be inserted into or placed in a drive or other device that is part of persistent storage 408 to become part of persistent storage 408 . data transfer to a storage device such as a hard drive. A computer readable storage media 424 may take the form of a persistent storage device such as a hard drive, thumb drive, or flash memory that is connected to data processing system 400 . In some cases, computer readable storage media 424 may not be removable from data processing system 400 .

Computer-readable storage media 424 , in these examples, is a physical or tangible storage device used to store program code 418 , rather than a medium that propagates or transmits program code 418 . Computer readable storage media 424 is also referred to as computer readable tangible storage or computer readable physical storage. In other words, computer readable storage media 424 is media that can be touched by a human.

As another example, program code 418 may be transferred to data processing system 400 using computer readable signal media 426 . Computer readable signal media 426 may be, for example, a carrier data signal containing program code 418 . For example, computer readable signal media 426 may be electromagnetic signals, optical signals, and/or other suitable types of signals. These signals can be transmitted over communication links such as wireless communication links, fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, wires, and/or other suitable types of communication links. In other words, communication links and/or connections may be tangible or wireless in the illustrative embodiment.

In some illustrative embodiments, program code 418 is downloaded over a network from another device or data processing system to persistent storage 408 through computer readable signal media 426 for use within data processing system 400 . may For example, program code stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system of a server may be downloaded over a network from the server to data processing system 400 . The data processing system that provides program code 418 may be a server computer, client computer, or other device capable of storing and transmitting program code 418 .

The illustrated components of data processing system 400 are not intended to impose any structural limitations on the manner in which different embodiments may be implemented. Various illustrative embodiments may also be implemented in data processing systems that include additional and/or alternative components to those illustrated for data processing system 400 . Other components shown in FIG. 5 may be modified from the illustrated embodiment. Various embodiments can be implemented by any hardware device or system capable of executing program code. As an example, data processing system 400 may include organic components combined with inorganic components, or may be composed entirely of organic components excluding humans. For example, the storage device may be constructed including an organic semiconductor.

In another illustrative example, processor unit 404 may take the form of a hardware unit having circuitry manufactured or configured for a particular application. Such hardware can perform operations without having to load program code from storage into memory in order to be configured to perform the operations.

For example, when processor unit 404 takes the form of a hardware unit, processor unit 404 may be a circuit system, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device, or other device configured to perform some operation. any suitable type of hardware. In the case of programmable logic devices, the device is configured to perform a predetermined number of operations. Such devices may be later reconfigured or permanently configured to perform a predetermined number of operations. Examples of programmable logic devices include, for example, programmable logic arrays, field programmable logic arrays, field programmable gate arrays, and other suitable hardware devices. In such implementations, program code 418 may be omitted as the processes for various embodiments may be implemented in hardware units.

In yet another embodiment, processor unit 404 may be implemented using a combination of processors in computers and hardware units. Processor unit 404 may include multiple hardware units and multiple processors configured to execute program code 418 . In this depicted example, some of the processes may execute on multiple hardware units, and other processes may execute on multiple processors.

In another example, communication framework 402 may be implemented using a bus system, which may be made up of one or more buses, such as a system bus or an input/output bus. Of course, the bus system can be implemented using any suitable type of architecture that facilitates data transfer between the various components coupled to the bus system.

Further, communication unit 410 may include multiple devices that transmit data, receive data, or both transmit and receive data. Communication unit 410 may be, for example, a modem or network adapter, two network adapters, or any suitable combination thereof. A memory may also be, for example, memory 406 or a cache such as that included in an interface and memory controller hub present in communication framework 402 .

The flowcharts and block diagrams described herein illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various exemplary embodiments. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which is one or more executable instructions for performing a particular logical function. be. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted. For example, the functions of two blocks shown in succession may occur substantially simultaneously, or sometimes in the reverse order, depending on their function.
[Exemplary Distributed Data Processing System]

As shown in FIG. 6, this embodiment describes a general network data processing system 500, which can be interchangeably referred to as a network, a computer network, a network system, a distributed data processing system, or a distributed data processing system. may be referred to as a network, aspects of which may be included in one or more exemplary embodiments of structural health monitoring systems and methods. For example, a structural health monitoring device may communicate with readers via a computer network. The monitoring device may be a node or client of the network. Aspects of a computer network may be used to analyze or collate measurement data from one or more monitoring devices. In some examples, a reader computer onboard a host aircraft communicates with other computers over a network.

It should be noted that FIG. 6 is provided as an illustration of one implementation and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the environment in which various embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment are possible.

Network data processing system 500 is a network of computers and other components, each of which is an example of data processing system 400 . Network data processing system 500 includes network 502 , which is the medium configured to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system 500 . Network 502 includes connection means such as wired or wireless communication links, fiber optic cables, and/or other suitable medium for transmitting and/or communicating data between network devices, or any suitable combination thereof. sell.

In the depicted example, a first network device 504 and a second network device 506 are connected to network 502, as is electronic storage device 508. FIG. Each of network devices 504 and 506 is an example of data processing system 400, described above. In the depicted example, devices 504 and 506 are shown as server computers. However, network devices may include, but are not limited to, one or more personal computers, mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and tablets and smart phones, handheld game consoles, wearable devices, tablet computers, routers, switches. , voice gates, servers, electronic storage, imaging devices, and/or other network-enabled tools that may perform mechanical or other functions. These network devices may be interconnected by wired, wireless, optical and other suitable communication links.

Additionally, client electronic devices such as client computer 510 , client laptop or tablet 512 , and/or client smart device 514 may connect to network 502 . Each of these devices is an example of data processing system 400 described above with respect to FIG. In some examples, communication-enabled data processing systems on one or more aircraft 516 may connect to network 502 . Client electronic devices 510, 512, 514, 516 may be, for example, one or more personal computers, network computers, and/or mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, handheld game consoles, wearable devices, tablet computers, etc. It may include computing devices and the like. In the depicted example, server 504 provides information such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to one or more of client electronic devices 510 , 512 , 514 and 516 . Client electronic devices 510 , 512 , 514 and 516 are sometimes referred to as “clients” with respect to servers such as server computer 504 . Network data processing system 500 may include more, fewer, or no servers or clients, and may include other devices not shown.

Client smart devices 514 may include any suitable portable electronic device capable of wireless communication and executing software, such as smart phones and tablets. Generally, "smartphone" refers to any suitable portable electronic device with greater computing power and network connectivity than a typical mobile phone. In addition to making phone calls (e.g., over cellular networks), smartphones can send and receive email, text, and multimedia messages, access the Internet, and/or act as web browsers. is. Smart devices (eg, smart phones) may also include functionality of other known electronic devices such as media players, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, video cameras, and/or global positioning systems. Smart devices (e.g., smartphones) may be capable of wireless connectivity with other smart devices, computers, or electronic devices, such as via Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, WiFi, or mobile broadband networks. By establishing wireless connections between smart devices, smartphones, computers and other devices, mobile networks can be formed in which information can be exchanged.

The program code located in system 500 may be stored in a computer recordable storage medium, such as persistent storage device 408 described above, for download into a data processing system or other device for use. For example, program code may be stored in a computer recordable storage medium on server computer 504 and downloaded to client 510 over network 502 for use by client 510 .

Network data processing system 500 may be implemented in one or more of a number of different types of networks. For example, system 500 may include an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a personal area network (PAN). In some examples, network data processing system 500 includes the Internet, where network 502 includes networks around the world that communicate with each other using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite. A collection of gateways. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers. Thousands of commercial, governmental, educational, and other computer systems are used to transmit data and messages. In some cases, network 500 is also referred to as a "cloud." In such cases, each server 504 may be referred to as a cloud computing node and the client electronic devices may be referred to as cloud consumers. FIG. 6 is provided by way of example and is not intended to be an architectural limitation of any example embodiment.
[Appendix]

Further, the present disclosure includes embodiments according to the following appendices.

Appendix 1: A measurement circuit including a processing circuit communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of a workpiece, the wireless circuit having an antenna configured to enable off-board communication; and an energy harvester circuit configured to power the measurement circuit, the measurement circuit configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the workpiece. , the structural health monitoring apparatus, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece.

Clause 2: The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator.

Clause 3: The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the energy harvester circuit includes an energy storage device.

Clause 4: The device of clause 3, wherein the energy storage device comprises a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Clause 5: The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the measurement circuit is communicatively coupled to an onboard memory device.

Clause 6: The apparatus of Clause 1, wherein the measurement circuitry is configured to measure at least two different electrical properties of the target portion of the workpiece.

Addendum 7: A structural health monitoring system comprising a structural health monitoring device, said structural health monitoring device being measurement circuitry including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of a workpiece. a measurement circuit in communication with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to enable off-board communication; and an energy harvester circuit configured to power the measurement circuit; A circuit is configured to measure impedance of the target portion of the workpiece, and the processing circuit is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural integrity of the workpiece. a reader configured to wirelessly communicate with the structural health monitoring device to obtain information regarding changes in impedance of the target portion.

Clause 8: The system of Clause 7, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator.

Clause 9: The system of clause 7, wherein the energy harvester circuit includes an energy storage device.

Clause 10: The system of clause 7, wherein the workpiece comprises a portion of an aircraft and the reader comprises an on-board network system of the aircraft.

Clause 11: The system of Clause 7, wherein the reader comprises a portable Near Field Communication Automatic Identification (RFID) reader configured to communicate with the antenna and the radio circuit of the structural health monitoring device.

Clause 12: The system of Clause 7, wherein the measurement circuit is communicatively coupled to an onboard memory device.

Appendix 13: The structural health of a workpiece is monitored using a structural health monitoring device coupled to said workpiece, said structural health monitoring device communicating with a pair of electrodes attached to a target portion of said workpiece. measurement circuitry including processing circuitry operably coupled thereto, the measurement circuitry configured to measure impedance of the target portion of the workpiece, the processing circuitry configured to measure the structural integrity of the workpiece; using an energy harvesting circuit of the structural health monitoring device to power the structural health monitoring device. collecting ambient energy and transmitting information about said measured impedance of said part of interest to an off-board reader using a wireless circuit communicable with said measuring circuit in said structural health monitoring device. .

Clause 14: The method of Clause 13, further comprising comparing the measured impedance of the target portion of the workpiece to an expected impedance range.

Clause 15: The method of Clause 14, further comprising sending an alert signal to the off-board reader if the measured impedance is outside the expected impedance range.

Clause 16: The method of Clause 13, further comprising storing the measured impedance in a memory device of the measurement circuit.

Clause 17: The method of Clause 13, wherein in harvesting environmental energy, the thermal energy is harvested using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) coupled to an energy harvester integrated circuit (IC).

Clause 18: The method of Clause 13, wherein in harvesting environmental energy, solar energy is harvested using a photovoltaic cell coupled to an energy harvester IC.

Clause 19: The method of Clause 13, wherein the workpiece comprises a portion of an aircraft and the off-board reader comprises an on-board network system (ONS) of the aircraft.

Clause 20: The method of Clause 13, wherein the energy harvesting circuit includes a power storage device.
[Additional Examples and Exemplary Combinations]

Additional aspects and features of the structural health monitoring system are described in a non-limiting series of sections in this section. Some or all of these are labeled with alphanumeric characters for clarity and efficiency. Each of these sections may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other sections and/or any portion of the disclosure of this application. While some of the following sections contain further limitations by explicit reference to other sections, this is merely an example of some suitable combinations and is not limiting. .

A0. A measurement circuit including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of a workpiece, the measurement communicating with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to enable off-board communication. a circuit;
an energy harvester circuit configured to power the measurement circuit;
the measurement circuit is configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the workpiece;
The structural health monitoring apparatus, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece.

A1. The apparatus of paragraph A0, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator.

A2. The apparatus of any of paragraphs A0-A1, wherein the energy harvester circuit includes an energy storage device.

A3. The apparatus of paragraph A2, wherein the energy storage device comprises a rechargeable lithium ion battery.

A4. The apparatus of any of paragraphs A0-A3, wherein the measurement circuit is communicatively coupled to an on-board memory device.

A5. The apparatus of any of paragraphs A0-A4, wherein the measurement circuitry is configured to measure at least two different electrical properties of the target portion of the workpiece.

B0. A structural health monitoring system comprising a structural health monitoring device, comprising:
The structural health monitoring apparatus includes measurement circuitry including processing circuitry communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of a workpiece and an antenna configured to enable off-board communications. a measurement circuit in communication with a radio circuit comprising
an energy harvester circuit configured to power the measurement circuit;
the measurement circuit is configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the workpiece;
the processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural integrity of the workpiece;
The structural health monitoring system further comprising a reader configured to wirelessly communicate with the structural health monitoring device to obtain information regarding changes in impedance of the target portion.

B1. The apparatus of Clause B0, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator.

B2. The apparatus of any of paragraphs B0-B1, wherein the energy harvester circuit includes an energy storage device.

B3. The apparatus of any of paragraphs B0-B2, wherein the workpiece comprises part of an aircraft and the reader comprises an onboard network system of the aircraft.

B4. The apparatus of any of paragraphs B0-B3, wherein the reader comprises a portable RFID reader configured to communicate with the antenna and the wireless circuitry of the structural health monitoring device.

B5. The apparatus of any of paragraphs B0-B4, wherein the measurement circuit is communicatively coupled to an on-board memory device.

C0. The structural health of a workpiece is monitored using a structural health monitoring device coupled to the workpiece, the structural health monitoring device communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attached to a target portion of the workpiece. a measuring circuit including a processed processing circuit, the measuring circuit configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the workpiece, the processing circuit measuring a change in structural integrity of the workpiece; is configured to determine a change in the measured impedance of the target portion indicative of
harvesting ambient energy using an energy harvesting circuit of the structural health monitoring device to power the structural health monitoring device;
A method of structural health monitoring wherein information regarding the measured impedance of the target portion is transmitted to an off-board reader using wireless circuitry communicable with the measurement circuitry in the structural health monitoring device.

C1. The method of clause C0, further comprising comparing the measured impedance of the target portion of the workpiece to an expected impedance range.

C2. The method of clause C1, further comprising sending an alert signal to the off-board reader if the measured impedance is outside the expected impedance range.

C3. The method of any of clauses C0-C2, further comprising storing the measured impedance in a memory device of the measurement circuit.

C4. The method of any of paragraphs C0-C3, wherein in harvesting environmental energy, thermal energy is harvested using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) coupled to an energy harvester integrated circuit (IC).

C5. The method of any of paragraphs C0-C4, wherein in harvesting environmental energy, solar energy is harvested using a photovoltaic cell coupled to an energy harvester IC.

C6. The method of any of paragraphs C0-C5, wherein the workpiece comprises a portion of an aircraft and the off-board reader comprises an on-board network system (ONS) of the aircraft.

C7. The method of any of paragraphs C0-C6, wherein the energy harvesting circuit includes a power storage device.

C8. A method according to any of paragraphs C0-C7, wherein in harvesting environmental energy, the energy is harvested from electromagnetic communication signals received from the off-board reader.

C9. The method of any of clauses C0-C8, further comprising aggregating the transmitted information regarding the measured impedance and performing a trend analysis of the aggregated information.
[End]

The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct examples with unique utility. While each of these is disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be taken in a limiting sense, as many variations are possible. can exist. Where sections are given headings in this disclosure, such headings are for organizational purposes only. The subject matter of this disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed in any application claiming priority from this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equivalent, or different than the original claims, are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims (10)

A structural health monitoring device for an aircraft, comprising:
A radio circuit including a processing circuit communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of the aircraft, the radio circuit having an antenna configured to enable on-board and off-board communications. a measuring circuit in communication with
an energy harvester circuit configured to harvest energy from the environment in which the aircraft is located to power the measurement circuit;
the measurement circuit is configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the aircraft;
the processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural integrity of the aircraft;
The radio circuit is configured to transmit the impedance measured by the measurement circuit for the target portion to a reader device, and the reader device connects to a radio access point of an onboard network system of the aircraft. Structural health monitoring equipment, including; 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reader device further comprises a remote reader device. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the measurement circuit is communicatively coupled to an on-board storage device. A structural health monitoring system comprising a structural health monitoring device for an aircraft, the structural health monitoring device comprising:
A radio circuit including a processing circuit communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target portion of the aircraft, the radio circuit having an antenna configured to enable on-board and off-board communications. a measuring circuit in communication with
an energy harvester circuit configured to harvest energy from the environment in which the aircraft is located to power the measurement circuit;
the measurement circuit is configured to measure the impedance of the target portion of the aircraft;
the processing circuitry is configured to determine a change in impedance of the target portion indicative of a change in structural integrity of the aircraft;
further comprising a reader device configured to wirelessly communicate with the structural health monitoring device to obtain information about changes in impedance of the target portion, the reader device comprising: • Structural health monitoring systems, including wireless access points for network systems. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the reader further comprises a portable Near Field Communication Automatic Identification (RFID) reader configured to communicate with the antenna and the radio circuit of the structural health monitoring device. A structural health monitoring method for an aircraft comprising:
The structural health of the aircraft is monitored using a structural health monitoring device coupled to the workpiece, the structural health monitoring device communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attached to a target portion of the aircraft. measuring circuitry including processing circuitry configured to measure the impedance of the portion of interest of the aircraft, the processing circuitry indicative of changes in the structural integrity of the aircraft; configured to determine a change in the measured impedance of the target portion;
harvesting ambient energy from an environment in which the aircraft is located using an energy harvesting circuit of the structural health monitoring device to power the structural health monitoring device;
transmitting information about the measured impedance of the target portion to a reader device including a wireless access point of an on-board network system of the aircraft using a wireless circuit communicable with the measurement circuit in the structural health monitoring device; , Structural Health Monitoring Methods. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising comparing the measured impedance of the target portion of the workpiece to an expected impedance range. 9. The method of claim 7 or 8, further comprising storing the measured impedance in a memory of the measurement circuit. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein in harvesting ambient energy, solar energy is harvested using a photovoltaic cell coupled to an energy harvester IC.

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